1. Field
The present description relates to the field of tracking goods through a supply chain and, in particular, to determining a location of an identification tag through an access point using authentication protocols.
2. Related Art
In a supply chain, it may be difficult to track the location of goods sent from a supplier to a customer. RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags attached to the goods are proposed to allow the location of the attached goods to be tracked. Smart RFID tags are also able to monitor environmental conditions and the time. This allows the tag to provide some indication as to the potential state of the goods on arrival. An RFID tag, however, requires an RF reader that can communicate with the tag and then report the position of the tag while the tag is in transit or at least when the tag arrives at the customer's premises. For the tag to be tracked while it is in transit, there must be tag readers along the supply chain to the customer.
Tracking the goods during shipping or in transit using RFID tags requires, not only a tag reader infrastructure to poll tags and determine their identity and locations, but also some way to communicate that information to the supplier and to the customer. Existing wireless networks are not well equipped, to provide communication to remote suppliers and customers.